


Kiss That Frog

by annejumps



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Fairy Tales, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2011-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-27 14:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/296989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annejumps/pseuds/annejumps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur blinked. Used to giving orders and having them obeyed, he told the frog, "Get my golden ball from the bottom of the well."</p><p>The frog tilted its head. "And? What will you give me if I do?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss That Frog

**Author's Note:**

> /o\ Title credit goes to Peter Gabriel.
> 
> Now with [lovely art](http://i.imgur.com/Saytv.jpg) by [essouffle](http://essouffle.livejournal.com/)!

Once upon a time, in a kingdom nestled between snow-capped mountains among green valleys, where rivers ran deep and the sun shone brightly, there was a king who had an only child, a son. The queen had been the king's dearest love, and when she died giving birth to their child, the grieving king lavished his attention on the boy, who had everything he wanted, his every whim fulfilled. He was beautiful, with dark eyes and curling dark hair, and he was clever, and everyone told him so. His name was Arthur.

Arthur was of marriageable age, but there was no one he desired, and rather than plan how best to join the kingdom with another, he was more interested in riding his favorite horse through the fields and woods all day, alone.

One morning, he stopped in the forest by a well, dismounted, and sat on its edge, taking out a golden ball from his pocket and rolling it idly over his fingers as he gazed down into the water. A bird flying overhead startled him, and he accidentally dropped the ball into the well's depths.

It didn't often happen that Arthur was displeased, and at the loss of his golden ball, he was outraged. In a temper, he picked up small rocks from the edge of the well and threw them into the water, cursing.

Suddenly a frog appeared at the edge, looking up over the rim at him. "D'you mind?" the frog said, peeved.

Arthur blinked. Used to giving orders and having them obeyed, he told the frog, "Get my golden ball from the bottom of the well."

The frog tilted its head. "And? What will you give me if I do?"

Arthur scowled. "I'm the prince of this kingdom. I have gold. I have jewels. I have clothes."

"Those things mean nothing to me," the frog said, narrowing its eyes.

"What do you want, then?" Arthur huffed.

"Take me back to your castle," the frog replied. "Keep me as your companion. Let me sit by you at your meals, and drink from your cup, eat from your plate, and sleep on your pillow."

Arthur scoffed, his mind already working. "Fine. I will."

"Promise?" the frog asked.

"Promise," Arthur said, grouchy and impatient.

At that, the frog slipped down the walls of the well and into the water's depths. A moment later, he surfaced with the ball in his mouth, and crept to the edge of the well, where Arthur stood.

"Thank you," Arthur smirked, taking the ball from the frog's mouth and running back to his horse.

"Wait!" the frog called, but Arthur mounted his horse and set him galloping on the path back to the castle.

\-------

That night, Arthur sat down at the long table for supper, having forgotten about the frog altogether. There was, however, a commotion at the castle's big front gates, and a guard soon came to the table to address the king.

"Your majesty, there is a frog at the gate. He says he's come to see the prince."

"Don't let him in," Arthur said to his father, deeply embarrassed at the thought of sharing his meals and his pillow with a frog.

The king told the guard to refuse the frog entry, and the guard returned to the gate. But he came back shortly, apologetically telling the king that the frog insisted he be allowed to come in, and would not leave otherwise.

"All right, bring him here," the king said before Arthur could object.

The guard returned with the frog hopping behind him. Arthur made an unbecoming face.

"Arthur," the king said, "how has this frog come to be seeking you?"

"I don't know," Arthur started, but the frog interrupted, much to his surprise. "Your majesty, I performed a favor for the prince and in return he promised me he'd keep me as his companion. He agreed to let me sit by him at meals, drink from his cup, eat from his plate, and sleep on his pillow."

"Arthur, is this true? Did you promise?"

"Yes," Arthur admitted, with great reluctance.

"Well then, my son, you must keep your promise. Lift the frog to your plate and your cup."

Scowling, Arthur picked up the frog and settled him next to his plate. The frog ate quite a bit of Arthur's food, and when he asked to drink, Arthur's father the king sternly told him to allow the frog to drink from his cup, which he did.

Arthur had a headache by the time the meal was over and it was time to go to bed. He attempted to leave the table without the frog, but the frog croaked and the king said to Arthur, "Take the frog to sleep on your pillow, Arthur. Keep your promise."

So Arthur picked up the frog and stalked off to his bedchamber. His valets turned the bed down and Arthur set the frog on his pillow as they dressed him for sleep.

The frog was surprisingly quiet as Arthur settled in warily and the curtains around the bed were pulled. Arthur soon fell asleep, and he had unusually vivid dreams of a handsome young man, a dear companion: going riding with him, dining with him, talking late into the night with him. He woke up to find the frog sleeping next to his ear.

Arthur brought the frog to the table for breakfast, but had to be prodded by the king into letting him once again eat from his plate and drink from his cup.

The frog asked to come with Arthur on his rides around the kingdom. Arthur frowned, but under his father's gaze, he agreed. The frog sat in Arthur's pocket as he rode, and at length, they talked about the kingdom.

When it rained the next day, Arthur sat in the library and read, with the frog perched on the top of Arthur's chair. The frog asked Arthur to read to him and though his father was not present, Arthur agreed. At supper, the frog entertained them with lively talk about everything Arthur had read to him.

Days passed like this, with the frog as Arthur's companion, just as he'd promised. Arthur no longer minded so much letting the frog eat from his plate and drink from his cup.

Every night the frog slept on his pillow, Arthur dreamed about that same lovely young man, and though he forgot almost all the details soon after he woke up, he still felt a strange longing that lasted throughout the day. Sometimes he thought the frog and the young man shared the same voice, but he couldn't be sure. Even if they did, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Arthur soon started looking forward to sharing meals with the frog, taking him on his rides, and reading to him in the library. He no longer felt embarrassed at being seen speaking with a slimy frog. The frog was actually very witty and capable of interesting discussion. He would even tease Arthur, who eventually took it with good nature, surprising everyone. Arthur's father the king even commented on how much kinder and more agreeable his son had become since the frog arrived.

One night, Arthur set the frog on his pillow as the curtains were drawn around his bed, and gave him an affectionate little kiss on the top of his head. Arthur laid back, closed his eyes and fell asleep almost right away, the last thing he heard being a croak from the frog.

He did not dream of the young man that night; in fact he did not dream of anything at all, and woke up feeling bereft. He was very startled, then, to realize that someone else was in bed with him, a man, his arm slung around Arthur's waist.

Arthur looked over his shoulder at him in the morning light, his sleeping face turned toward Arthur, and went rigid with shock as he recognized the young man from his dreams, his head on the pillow where the frog had been. As Arthur turned, the young man blinked awake, and smiled at Arthur, his eyes shining with affection and joy. When he spoke, it was with the frog's voice, which was in fact the same as the man's had been in Arthur's dreams.

"Good morning, darling."

\-------

When Eames finished his story, he looked expectantly at Arthur, who was gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"They're going to have a hell of a time explaining that to the king," Arthur said finally, half to himself.

Eames gently punched him in the shoulder. "I don't know, he seemed to unquestioningly accept the talking frog bit."

Arthur continued. "You know that story's a metaphor for oral sex, right? Which I have never been reluctant to give you."

Eames sighed.

"Why were you turned into a frog, anyway?"

Eames thought about that. "As punishment for theft or forgery, I expect."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, maybe you stole from a witch or something. So I changed you back to your human form with true love's kiss?"

"Yes, but only after you learned to stop being a total prat."

"Mm. I guess I can accept your interpretation."

"Hey, I could have kept you as a princess, you know. Or made you the frog."

"I appreciate your bedtime story, Eames. Thank you." Arthur sat up and turned to kiss Eames' brow.

"Yes, well. Good night, darling."


End file.
